Jewish Institute for Lifelong Learning & Innovation

We start the evening service of Yom Kippur with a strange proclamation. We say in the introduction to Kol Nidrei:

By the authority of the court on high and by the authority of this court below, with divine consent and with consent of this congregation, we grant permission to pray with those who have transgressed.

I think it is very strange that we start this day granting permission to people who committed a transgression to pray with us when we know full well that we missed the mark at some point during the year that passed. More…

The Torah reading for the second day of Rosh HaShanah, the akedah, the Binding of Isaac, is horrifying no matter how many times I read it or I teach it. 

We know that this is supposed to be a test, and when God tells Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering, I keep hoping that this time around Abraham will respond: NO. Absolutely not. I am not doing that. More…

Today another year begins. We gather here to connect with our community and with God, hoping to start anew. During the month of Elul, the last month of the Jewish year, we start preparing for the Yamim Norayim by reading Psalm 27. Here is the opening verse:

Psalm 27:1 of David.

The Eternal is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Eternal is the stronghold of my life,
whom shall I dread? More…

We continue our exploration of the Jewish wedding by examining the first part of the ceremony, the Eirussin.

The Jewish ceremony was once two separate ceremonies, the Eirussin, or betrothal, followed by the Nissuin, the wedding itself. We now combine these two ceremonies in one. More…

We are now in the Hebrew month of Elul. Elul is a good month for Jewish weddings because its letters are an anagram for Ani LeDodi VeDodi Li, which means “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” More…

Dear Friends,

We are looking forward to ushering the Jewish New Year together with you! We will gather as a community, with services being both in-person and online. More…